Today was a cold morning to wake up to- 6 degrees. I still refuse to buy gloves. The day was sunny and warm by early afternoon. Another hiker's dream day.
Our stay at this Albergue was so much fun. The hospitalero, Tymo, was more than helpful. He even put our laundry to wash and dry for us. His dog Leo kept us entertained, doing quite the little dance for food.
Today we hiked up 700 metres, from Vega de Valcarce to the absolutely gorgeous little mountain pueblo of O'Cebreiro, population ,,,50!
It was a difficult climb, steep and rocky, but every stop to catch our breath, was rewarded with panoramic views sans pareil, one more beautiful than the next. The pictures I will post will attest to that.
We made ourselves a picnic lunch, and enjoyed that in a farmer's field, all for the princely sum of 4 Euros each.
Along the steep hike, we met up with sweetcheeks Shiva, she of the dimples in her upper cheeks. We hadn't seen her for three or four days, so there was a big round of hugs, chatting and picture taking . Shiva was hiking with our dormroom mate from last night, a Hungarian named Atila, who has been tenting since way back. He stays in an Albergue the odd time, to get a hot shower and wash his clothes. I remember seeing him doing a sun salutation one morning near Burgos, standing outside his tent, at the same time as I was doing mine on the path!
Jose and Sylvia, two Brazilians who were with our group of 40 the first night in Orisson, were sitting in a cafe when we finally summitted. They called out to me, recognizing me right away. Probably because I was the first one to stand up that night at dinner, and introduce myself. Someone has to go first at those things!
We also met up again with our San Franciscan giant, Joan, from Leon. We ended up sitting in a cafe drinking and talking, with people she had met along the way, people we had met, and even a new random from Malaysia who was sitting by herself and whom I persuaded to join us. So there we were, Irish, American, Malaysian, Canadian, German, English,and Australian. There we sat for a few hours, resting our feet, drinking and eating, and sharing our Camino experiences. Then who shows up and joins us? One man from my birthday group of singing Germans. Their group of 12 belong to a choir, and every year one person drives the van, and the others walk. They will do this until they finish the Camino. Ulrich's kness are bothering him, so he stayed with the van. He is waiting for the other 10 to finish their hike up to O'Cebreiro.
This village is magical! A 360 degree view of the mountains we have hiked, cobblestoned streets and gorgeous stone albergues.
We are told to go visit the church immediately because of a wedding taking place shortly. We go in and listen to the singer practice. Tears stream down Joan's face. What? I only cry at weddings of people I KNOW, not strangers.
I thank the organist and singer as we leave this exquisite building. There is a long pink carpet outside going from the gate of the church all the way to the altar, strewn with rose petals. I try not to step on it. I feel like an intruder.
There is an air of anticipation and excitement, as the wedding guests arrive and the Peregrinos watch and wait as well, for the arrival of the bride. Everyone mills around the courtyard. I go down to the road that winds up, and am there waving with many other Peregrinos, as the bride and groom arrive at the head of a long motorcade.
At times I think, "Am I in some kind of Hollywood movie here?"
Tomorrow brings the reality of hiking DOWN those 700 metres we hiked up TODAY. For many, going down hurts a hell of a lot more than going up.
I am fortunate in that while I may be stiff in the morning, nothing hurts. One Tylenol then and I am good to go. I have seen more limping, hobbling, bandaged, strapped, braced, and otherwise bedecked Peregrinos, with all kinds of medical attachments, that I am beginning to feel like SUPERMAN! I even saw two Italian cyclists who took a bad tumble near Viana. One is wearing a cervical collar, and has cracked ribs. Her partner has his left arm all bandaged up. Have they given up? Heck no, they are still at it - still doing the Camino their way. It kind of makes me feel badly for calling all cyclists PITAS. Well....not really!
Injuries are part of the Camino. Towns were built around the hospitals that were erected, to attend to the medical needs of these pilgrims. The town of Leon had 26 hospitals at one time, apparently.
This was supposed to be a short blog. Again! There was no WIFI high up on top of the world tonight, so I figured I could be short and sweet, in my writing that is. That is not possible as there is JUST so much I want to share.
Nancy and I are so, so fortunate to be where we are... and only seven days away from Santiago de Compostella. We are now in the region of Galicia. We have left the region of Leon y Castilla behind.
Avec amour et reconnaissance dans le petit conte de fée qui est O'Cebreiro, Espagne.
No comments:
Post a Comment